Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration he has given to publishing annual data on suicides among armed forces veterans.

Any suicide is a tragedy and is one too many. Our thoughts remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those affected.

In 2024, for the first time ever, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published annual suicide rates (year 2021) for the veteran population in England and Wales using Census 2021 and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Service Leaver Database (SLD). This analysis was conducted based on a collaboration between ONS and the MOD.

The Government is committed to developing annual statistics for publication, which will provide a clearer picture of the issue and help inform targeted interventions to improve mental health support for veterans.